


The Vibrations of String (Revamped)

by CheddarSquirrel84



Category: Prince of Tennis (TV), Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 17:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheddarSquirrel84/pseuds/CheddarSquirrel84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New summary: Knowing the pain of loneliness, Sam is an aspiring musician sent overseas in search of seven letters and an old acquaintance of her late grandfather. Leaving Seattle behind, Sam finds herself in Germany with the grandson of the mysterious Kunikazu. Will she ever fulfill her grandfather's dying wish or will the rest of her life be spent running in circles? RxR!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Origianlly, this story was on FanFiction.net, but I am re-writing it because I am disappointed in the direction it was taking. The storyline has not changed too drastically (for any readers who have read the original), however there are noticeable differences.  
> For anyone who wants to read my other stories, I am on FanFiction.net under the name: Smash41KMF

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT, but I do own this story and the OCs. Thank you ~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)

* * *

**Prologue: The Promise**

* * *

I have always hated airports.

Dull and noisy, the terminals signify a closed gate, cutting the ties that hold one to the place they left, the people and memories they left behind, taking them somewhere presumably better. Airports are places where tears are shed by loved ones leaving and arriving, where happiness and sadness coexist. A place so big it's easy to be lost, forgotten, to be separated by those giant metal doors. I swore that I would never return to such a place, a place of such abandonment; yet, here I am, sitting and waiting for my turn to disappear beyond that cruel gate.  
  
However, this time I am not standing alone like another abandoned child. Rather I am surrounded by a happy family of a mother and father, two sons and two daughters. It is not a family of my own, but they have grown to love me as if I were, and I have grown to accept them as mine as well; I am still amazed by their ways. I have never really known much of what it means to be a 'family', my mother died when I was six and my father walked away when I was eight and a half; for six years I only knew the inside of foster homes and my brother Dallas, but that was enough for me.  
  
It wasn't until I was ten that I realized that he wasn't enough. Dallas is seven years my senior, and I knew that eventually, even he would be taken away from me. It came on my eleventh birthday, the knock on the door that stole my brother from me. It was cold, being mid-December in Washington state, and I was still in my pajamas when my brother got up to answer the door. He had told me to stay and go back to sleep, but I followed him into the hall and watched him from the top of the stairs.  
  
If Dallas had known that I was there, he didn't show it. His back had been to me the entire time as three men in black suits took him by the arms and led him out of the house. They had been polite enough to close the door behind them, but they never returned Dallas. The next morning, I had woken up on the stairs with a blanket thrown over me, the smell of freshly brewed coffee floating in the air. The house was warm and I had jumped to my feet and run towards the kitchen, thinking that my brother had come home after all. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, though.  
  
Dallas never made coffee in the morning, he said coffee provided unnecessary energy that detracted from the meaning of being in good health. I had slowly crept towards the kitchen door, too scared to open it on my own, but it opened before I could run. I looked up at a man dressed in a familiar blue uniform and reality struck me hard, nearly knocking me on the floor: these were policemen, the same people who had visited us at the foster homes when our father disappeared and our mother died. Seeing these men in our house, standing around our dinner table, meant that my brother had never come home and he probably never would again.  
  
The policemen were nice to me, they never did anything wrong, but that didn't stop me from screaming and locking myself in my room for the rest of the day. I like to think that he didn't look back in order to protect me from the evil that had taken him from me, but the sight of the social worker the following day made me cringe and silently pray that he'd burst through that door, scoop me up in his arms and spin me around like he always did.  
  
I had lost the last thing that held me to reality, that gave me any hope. I was tossed from foster home to foster home until I was about fourteen and landed in the care of my grandfather, who had just returned from spending years overseas in Europe. I was wary of him from the beginning, never being one to forge any attachments, but he paid no mind to my insecurities and reprimanded me on my attitude the moment he set eyes on me.  
  
We butted heads from the start, but for every mistake I'd made, he'd created a lesson, teaching me the values of having other people and forming connections. He taught me music, showed me the beauty in the simple things, and straightened out years of bent, disfigured emotions and anger. Yet, he never accepted my tears, never sat and let me cry myself to sleep, and he rarely offered praise. He was strict but sensible and expressed his own ways of caring.  
  
For a child who'd known nothing of stability or family, I grew attached to him to the point it annoyed him. For a gruff and grizzly man who'd seen the world and beyond, a teenage girl wasn't what the world revolved around. It was when I was fifteen that my grandfather had to leave again to go overseas for his research and he left me in the care of our neighbors, a family I had seen only once or twice in passing.  
  
A mother, a father, two boys, and two girls: more people than I wanted to be around, but they were persistent. The oldest, a boy named Travis, about two years older than myself with unruly blond curls and creamy brown eyes. He was a star athlete at school, but he never left my side during my first few months of public school; my grandfather had provided me with the schooling since he'd taken me in. Travis had introduced me to a new world, taking me to the movies, school events, even Prom, but he often had to battle with his siblings, a pair of twins who had attached themselves to me.  
  
June and Jason, the twelve-year-old Hartenfield twins, brown-haired and blue-eyed each, had clung to me since the time I'd arrived, so excited to have another big sister. They had taught me what it was like to be looked up to, relied on and gave me new-found respect for both Dallas and my grandfather.  
  
It was Paige, the fourteen-year-old daughter, that had pushed me away the most, infuriated to share her room and up in arms about my upbringing. One night at dinner, she'd accused me of having the easy life, not having to care for anyone, never knowing what it was like to work hard for what I was given, not being given what I deserved, having to make sacrifices for others. She had been upset over my academic achievement and had been sent upstairs without dinner, but she had been right. I was thrown from foster home to foster home without a care and I never thought of the problems I had caused Dallas or my grandfather or the other foster families.  
  
I had snuck food upstairs and set it on the table on her side of our room before climbing into my bed and going to sleep. She apologized in the dark that same night, and we'd stayed up the rest of the night talking about nonsense. Over the time I had spent there, she'd become my closest ally and she even encourage my feelings for her brother when I moved back to the home I shared with my grandfather the following year.  
  
I was seventeen when my grandfather was called to Japan to excavate a new archeological site and I was sent to stay with the Hartenfields once again. However, the news came only a few weeks after we'd seen him off that my grandfather had suffered of a heart attack on site and died en route to the hospital.  
  
The news didn't strike me as hard as I had expected, but I felt numb. It was common for the messages to be misinterpreted but the letter was scrawled in the distinctive English handwriting of Tezuka Kunikazu, an age-old friend of my grandfather, one which I'd never meant but had heard of countless times. The man had expressed the greatest of condolences and requested that I journey to Japan and assist him in the funeral arrangements for my late grandfather.  
  
And so, here I stand, gripping the handles of my belongings and looking around at the people, this family, who'd taken me in and helped mend my broken soul. The sounds of airplanes taking off and landing and the hustle and bustle of strangers coming and going with their own agendas surrounded me, and I began to feel my stomach twist when my flight was called over the loud speakers.  
  
Around me, people rose with carry-on belongings in hand and made their ways into the roped lines to board the flight to Germany, the crossover stop on the way to Japan. I rose silently, as if I had no control over my body, and began in the same direction as these strangers, when a warmth engulfed my hand and held me back.  
  
I turned and looked up into the eyes of Travis, the twenty-year-old college student who had showed me love and opened my eyes to the world full of people. He held my hand gently, but firm enough to keep me in place. His brown eyes were dull and clouded, but he blinked back the tears and pulled me into a hug, stroking the back of my head as I put my arms around him in return. I took a deep breath, trying to inhale that familiar smell of his woodsy aftershave and saw dust from the construction site.  
  
"Stay safe, Sammy." he said, sounding so gruff that I bit back a small sob. Slowly, he released me, kissing my cheek gently before stepping away and taking the hand of his fiancee, Rebecca. He'd been my first love and although he never returned my feelings, he was always there for me and I knew he was in good hands with the pretty brunette by his side.  
  
"Hurry home, Sam." Rebecca said, pulling me into one of the big hugs she was known for. Though she had been a sort of competition when she and Travis had started dating, she became much like an older sister to me and I would miss her as much as I would the rest of the Hartenfields. "We want you home safe and sound for the wedding in the fall."  
  
Next came the twins. Jason was the first to throw his arms around me and burrow his head into my neck, even though he was taller than me by a few inches. "Don't take too long, Sam, or else you'll miss our graduation." I couldn't help but laugh as I tried to pat the boy's head. He'd found a place in my heart and I truly doted on him like a little brother.  
  
When Jason stood back, June was already in my arms, clinging to my shirt just as she did when she was younger. She said nothing, but I could feel her crying into the shoulder of my jacket and I simply held her a little tighter until her parents helped her back to her seat.  
  
Martha came first, the wonderful woman who'd shown me motherly love that I didn't know I had longed for growing up. She took me in her arms and cradled my head, cooing either herself or me- I couldn't tell. I barely was able to fight through the knot in my stomach when she looked at me, her hands cupping my face.  
  
"Darling, I've watched you grow into such a beautiful young woman. I fear that I may never see you again, but I know that wherever you end up, you will be happy. Promise me, when you return, to have many stories to tell us, even a man would do. Just promise me that one day, you'll return to us." I swallowed hard and nodded as the woman let her husband pull me in tight.  
  
"I wish you the best, Sam. We will always be here for you if you ever need us, don't ever be afraid to call. You've become an irreplaceable part of this family. Don't ever forget that." Duncen, the man who took on the role of being the father to a child who'd grown up distrusting men, held tears in his eyes. It was something I had never seen before, and he looked like he wanted to say more, but the final call for my flight rang out and the last of the Hartenfields threw her arms around me.  
  
"Promise me that you'll never forget me. I want you to call every day, I don't care if the time zones are different. Just don't forget us, Sam. I'd never forgive you if you did." Paige started harshly, pulling back and smiling through the tears that streamed down her face. "And you'd better bring back a cute guy, or else you've failed as a Hartenfield and as a woman."  
  
I laughed through the lump in my throat and pulled her into a tight hug, before letting go and grabbing my suitcase. I turned towards the terminal as Carson, a dear friend of my grandfather who often visited me while my grandfather was away and cared for me after his death until I graduated, came to stand beside me.  
  
"Now that the emotional part is over with, we'll need the next sixteen hours to work on your German." he said, putting a hand on my shoulder as we walked through the end of the line. I laughed softly and looked back at the Hartenfields.  
  
It was painful, hearing all of their hopes that I'd return soon, because I knew the truth. The time that I would be gone could stretch for years. I couldn't guarantee that I'd be happy, I would miss Travis and Rebecca's marriage, the twins' graduation, and worst of all, I would be forced to forget about Paige at some point, I would break the promises I had made them.  
  
None of them knew it, but I wouldn't ever return.

* * *

**Okay! So that's the prologue. I know it's short, but bear(?) with me, please! I'm going to be slow in updating because of how busy I am, but I will try. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews and responses are very welcome!**

**~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)  
**


	2. Chapter One: Stop and Stare

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT, but I do own this story and the OCs. Thank you ~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)

* * *

 "Sam..."  
  
She felt herself being prodded awake, but no light fell on her eye lids so she brushed it off. The second round came much less gently when the African-American gentleman beside her pinched her nose and covered her mouth.  
  
Sam jerked awake and the man carefully wiped his hands with a napkin and returned his attention to his magazine, ignoring the sharp glare from the seventeen-year-old seated beside him.  
  
"That wasn't necessary, you know." she hissed, silently noting that the day hadn't broken and many of the other passengers were still asleep.  
  
"Of course it was," he said, casually reading his magazine as the girl scowled. "Otherwise you would have slept through the landing."  
  
Sam looked at the man, Carson, whom she'd known since she'd moved in with her grandfather and then glanced out the window in awe. As the plane turned and began leaning downwards, the sunrise peaked out from behind the clouds and fell upon the city of Berlin, illuminating the majestic city brilliantly in hues of copper, rose, and gold.  
  
Above their heads, the seatbelt lights went on and Sam eagerly sat back as her companion folded his magazine and tucked it back into his bag. Carson turned to Sam and gently put his hand over hers, squeezing it gently. Sam looked up and smiled lightly at the gentle man, who had always been such a far cry from her grandfather that she hardly believed they even liked each other, but they always seemed to prove her wrong.  
  
"From here, you will be on your own, Samantha. Do you understand?" he said, calmly watching the uneasiness play across the senior's face as she glanced back out the window at the glowing city below.  
  
"Will I ever see you again?" is what she wanted to ask, but she was afraid to hear the answer and simply responded with a nod.  
  
Carson gave a small nod in return and stood up as the seatbelt lights clicked off and passengers were permitted to depart. The man lowered Sam's things and followed her off the plane, into the airport lobby. Sam was busy looking around, when Carson stopped in front of her and turned around.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking up at the six-foot man standing before her.  
  
Carson reached forward and drew Sam into a rare hug, squeezing her tightly like any father would. When he released her, he held her at arms and blinked back tears.  
  
"Carson..." he shook his head at her, before leaning down and gently kissing her forehead.  
  
"I've watched you grow, my dear little Samantha. Daniel and I both worried about when this day would come, but I wouldn't have wanted it to be any sooner. You've become a strong woman and you have your entire life ahead of you. Perhaps, once you've finished this journey, you will come and visit little ol' me in this grand city." he said with the usual smile, stroking Sam's cheek once more before stepping away and walking towards the east exit- the opposite direction.  
  
Sam stood and watched the man until he was out of sight. It was strange, to be alone in such a large city, but there wasn't much else for her to do other than begin her search as soon as possible. Shoving her free hand into her pocket, Sam felt an envelope and smiled to herself. Carson had given her the first letter, kick-starting her newest adventure:  
  
 _Dear Samantha,_  
  
 _If you are reading this, it means that I have already left you to join Maria and Christopher, but do not fear, my dear child, I have not left you alone. You will never be alone, but only if you agree to endure the hardships of the quest I have set out for you._  
  
 _You are an adult by now, you have no need to be worrying about myself or anyone other than yourself. Such a selfless child you've always been, I want you to seek your own happiness and leave the past behind you. We have all devoted our lives to protect that fragile heart hidden deep inside of you, now we wish you use it to find something or someone that will forever make you happy._  
  
 _Enclosed, I have left you a few things to get you started. Good luck, Samantha._

_Sincerely,_

_Daniel Takiyoshi_  
  
Carefully, Sam opened the envelope once more and found a key card and some money stuffed neatly inside:  
  
 _The Esplanade, Grand Hotel Berlin. Room 1094._  
  
Pausing, Sam looked up at the clock and sighed. Taking a deep breath, Sam left the airport behind her and hailed a taxi, intending on heading straight to the hotel and relax. However, as the taxi pulled up to the curb in front her and she ducked inside, she was surprised to find another person occupying the same taxi.  
  
It took a few seconds for Sam to recognize that she was in the presence of a very attractive man. His sharp, freshly-shaven jawline looked smooth and flawless, his unusually grey eyes added to the allure and his short brown locks looked so soft that Sam wanted to reach out and touch them to see if they felt like silk. However, just as she opened her mouth to apologize for intruding, the man spoke in an arrogance that severely depreciated the value of his looks.  
  
"To think I must share a taxi with some tourist, so be it. Taxi driver, to the Atobe Estate." he said, glaring at Sam from the corner of his eye, surveying her in one glance. "You have no idea who I am, do you?" he concluded with bemusement.  
  
Sam frowned at the brunette. "I know now that you're certainly not the courteous type."  
  
The man gawked at her before snarling, "I am being gracious enough to share this cab with you, a complete stranger! Taxi driver, I demand that you pull over this instant!" he exclaimed.  
  
The cab hastily pulled up along the curb and the brunette grabbed the door handle on his side and thrust it open. Stepping out of the cab, he held the door open and gestured for Sam to get out. Sam cautiously took her bag and stepped out of the taxi and into the puddle by the curb. She glanced down and then back at the man standing before her and frowned.  
  
"How kind of you." she said with a sarcastic smile. The man replied with an equally disdainful smile as he stepped around her and ducked into the car. Sam sighed at the man and turned around. However, when she looked up, she was surprised to see the Esplanade, Grand Hotel Berlin standing before her. She glanced back, but the taxi had already taken off with the brunette man, whom she'd probably never see again.  
  
  _"Maybe I shouldn't have called him uncourteous."_ She thought, taking her bag and starting towards the hotel.

* * *

Stepping inside, Sam held her breath. It was truly breath-taking. The lobby was a deep caramel with lush furniture here and there. Expresso-brown side tables and glass coffee tables were scattered strategically about the room to accommodate groups of people from honeymooning couples to large business parties. beneath her feet was a cream-colored, hand-woven Persian rug, the intricate designs of noble eagles crafted masterfully into the material to create the giant work of art. Looking up, Sam saw the receptionist seated quickly behind her desk; a petite Aryan woman, looking no more than four or five years older than Sam herself.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Sam approached the front desk and offered the slender blond seated behind the counter a small smile. Thankfully, the gesture was returned and the woman focused her attention on the seventeen-year-old as she quietly reached the front desk.  
  
"Good morning Miss Takiyoshi, your grandfather has been a loyal patron since the very beginning of the company, I'm very sorry for you loss." She said gently, only the soft accent in her English indicated that she was indeed German.  
  
"It's our honor to accommodate Mr. Daniel's family in any way we can whenever possible. It says here that your arrangements have already been paid for and you may go up to your room wherever you'd like." she said, handing Sam a second keycard and another envelope. "Good luck."  
  
Sam smiled and nodded, before taking the keycard and envelope and starting towards the elevators. Stepping into the elevator, Sam closed her eyes and sighed at the sound of the doors closing, separating her from the foreign world, if even for a few minutes. The soft ping of the elevator made her smile. It was the first familiar sound she'd heard since arriving and oddly, it had a sort of soothing effect on her nerves. It seemed all too soon, though, that she had reached her destination as the machine glided to a gentle stop on the tenth floor.  
  
Sam opened her eyes and took a deep breath as the golden door parted before her. What greeted her was not what she had expected. Having become accustomed to the stiff, grandiose welcomes she was accustomed to seeing her grandfather receive, Sam felt foolish when she found no welcoming party standing by to wait on her hand and foot. How could she have become so spoilt?  
  
Instead, Sam found a single person, a man, waiting by the elevator as the doors opened. He was leaning slightly against the wall adjacent the elevator, dressed nicely in a deep blue business suit and yellow tie, a small brown book open in his hand. A little-too-long chestnut brown hair hid part of his face from her view, but Sam noticed the wire-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, his eyes darting from left-to-right as he read.  
  
Sam expanded her gaze and slowly found herself admiring the man's physique: long legs and broad shoulders. Undeniably this man was physically attractive, but she had yet to get a good look at his face.  
  
He, on the other hand, had yet to notice her and Sam felt the urge to reach out and shake him. However, the chime of the elevator and the sound of its doors closing brought him back to reality. He lunged forward to stop the doors from closing, slipping by Sam as he moved, but he wasn't quick enough. The doors closed and he sighed at the sound of the elevator speeding off. Glancing down at his watch, the man frowned and took a step backwards to press the command button when he noticed the girl standing a few feet from him.  
  
 He looked at her and for a second, something akin to recognition crossed his face, but it disappeared just as quickly. He gave her a curious look and opened his mouth, as if to say something, when the elevator doors re-opened before him. Surprised, he glanced at the elevator and then at Sam, who simply smiled. He gave her a small nod in response before stepping into the elevator and watching the doors close.

* * *

Watching the doors slide closed, Sam picked her finger off the command button and smiled to herself. While they shared no words, she felt oddly drawn towards the bespectacled man. Be it curiosity, human nature or her desire for a companion in this large, unfamiliar city, but she silently hoped for another chance to see him, whoever he was.  
  
What she didn't know was that, in the descending elevator, so was he.

* * *

**Okay, Chapter One! Enjoy!!**

**~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)  
**


	3. Chapter Two: Déja Vu

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT, but I do own this story and the OCs. Thank you ~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)

* * *

Sam let out a small sigh as she stepped into her apartment, the soft click of the lock reassuring her that she was alone as the door quietly closed behind her. She placed her keys in the small bowl that sat on the side table by the door and entered the main room, forgoing the couch and instead turning right, towards the master bedroom. After opening the door, Sam slipped out of her heels and made a bee-line for the queen-sized bed, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her black comforter and sleep.  
  
However, her long-awaited reunion with her bed was interrupted by a soft, low chuckle. Sam grumbled and rolled over, glaring at the blond-hair man leaning in her doorway, an amused grin spreading across his lips. Sitting up, Sam sourly watched him bend down and pick up her shoes, his green eyes shimmering with unsurfaced laughter as he entered the room.  
  
Dressed in a pair of black slacks, a crisp blue dress shirt, with his coat slung over his shoulder and Sam's heels dangling in his free hand, she could tell he'd gotten back not long after her, yet he still looked alive. That fact annoyed her, but she couldn't muster the energy to stay bitter when he walked over to the young woman perched on the edge of the bed and tenderly kissed her head before taking the seat beside her.  
  
It had been nearly a year since she'd arrived in Berlin and although it was still difficult to call it home, Sam had slowly warmed up to the city and it's people. The first month was the worst, she still hadn't mastered the native language and every street looked the so similar that she would get lost for hours at a time. She refused to go out during the early mornings or the evenings because she feared she'd find trouble if she got lost, and as a result, she took to the hotel's weight room and YouTube videos to keep herself in shape.  
  
However, one night an 'emergency' forced her to run out the nearest convenience store late at night and, as she had predicted, on the way back she got lost. She hadn't resorted to back alleyways, but she hesitantly walked through the streets trying to find a familiar landmark of some kind, when she thought she'd heard someone following her. Uncharacteristically, she had panicked and ended up running straight into someone else. The person had grumbled a few choice words in her direction and left her sitting in the sidewalk. When she'd stood up, a man had come to running stop in front of her, dressed in jeans and a faded green T-shirt with a name tag that read "Karsten." He looked at her and, oddly enough, asked if she was okay. Still uncertain, Sam had nodded and turned around to walk away, when he grabbed her and shoved something in her hand.  
  
"You forgot this at the store," he said, pointing to the wallet he'd placed in her hand. "I tried to catch up with you earlier, but you started running away."  
  
She'd been surprised, she was being followed, but by this man who only wanted to return her wallet to her. She felt silly and thanked him, but he held onto her arm, keeping her in place.  
  
"You should be more careful at night, you know. If you're still not used to it here, you should get someone to show you around so you don't get lost again." His words had surprised her and he had simply smiled. "You passed the store at least twice since you left."  
  
It had been embarrassing and the man had accompanied her back to her hotel, nothing more. In fact, she hadn't seen him until a month later, shortly after she was hired as a waitress as a local Jazz Club that was only a few blocks away from her apartment. He'd come in with a group of guys she assumed were a few of his friends and sat down at one of her tables. However, it was strange, she noticed that he was dressed nicer than the time she'd met him. His unruly blond hair was carefully combed and he was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie: for business.  
  
Throughout the course of the evening, she'd noticed that his green eyes never strayed and he was very focused on the meeting he was having with the other men. He was polite when she served them, as if she were just another waitress, she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd forgotten about her entirely. However, when closing time came and he and his co-workers had long since finished their meeting, and she was bidding goodbye to her employer, she found him standing out in the cold.  
  
Since then, he'd always appear at the end of her shift and walk her back to the hotel. He gave no explanation as to why, other than that he didn't want her to get lost. It was later revealed to her that he was a law student who dropped out of school to become a musician and was working on getting a contract in addition to his job as an errand boy for his family's convenience store. Slowly but surely, she had grown attached to him and began enjoying his company. Then, about three months before now, he took her out to dinner and ask her to go out with him.  
  
They were in a happy, healthy relationship. His family loved her and she loved them, especially his mother, Gwenivere, and his little sister, Kristina. The family had welcomed her with open arms and it had been the first time since she arrived that she felt like she belonged somewhere.  
  
Quietly, Sam leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling to herself when his arm wrapped instinctively around her, drawing her closer as he gently kissed her forehead.  
  
"I missed you, you know." he whispered, kissing the top of her head once again. Sam slowly lifted her and smiled at the man before closing her eyes and meeting his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. When they parted, Sam snuggled closer, tucking her head in the crook of his neck.  
  
"I know," she whispered, "I missed you too." Sam smiled slightly, hearing his heartbeat quicken a little at her words. They'd been together for three months now, but the simplest gestures still excited him. It was a cute quality of his that always made her smile and want to hug him. Instead, she raised her head and kissed him again, letting him carefully lay her back on the bed. Though she felt tired, she'd missed him the three weeks he spent overseas and couldn't wait to hold him in her arms again.  
  
Karsten, however, moved no further, ending the kiss and gently raising his hand to stroke Sam's cheek as she gave him a tired pout. Chuckling, he leaned down and kissed her forehead before sitting up. Looking at her, he smiled and gently stroked her cheek, smiling when she caught his hand and held it gently in her own.  
  
"Go and wash up, you look exhausted, Sam." he said softly as the eighteen-year-old carefully sat up and put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"But I'm hungry, do I have to?" she asked childishly, looking up at her boyfriend pitifully. The man, however, only chuckled and kissed her forehead.  
  
"I'll make you a deal, then," Karsten said, gently holding her hands in his. "If you go and wash up, I'll have dinner ready for you when you come out, okay?"  
  
Sam gave him a flat look before standing.  
  
"I hope this isn't your way of saying that I smell, Karsten." she said playfully, causing the man sitting on the bed to shake his head as he stood up and tugged lightly on her escaping hands.  
  
"I would never." he said dramatically as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head once more before turning her around and guiding her towards the bathroom door. Once she was inside, Karsten quickly ducked out and closed the door before moving to the kitchen to start preparing their dinner.

* * *

Inside the bathroom, Sam rolled her eyes at the actions of the twenty-year-old, before proceeded to undress herself. Normally a very neat and tidy person, Sam unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it on the ground by the door, before wiggling out of her panty-hoes and pencil skirt. Fully naked, Sam walked into the shower, twisted the knob and closed her eyes as the hot water washed over her.  
  
Squirting shampoo into the palm of her hand, Sam closed her eyes and thought back to what life was like when she'd first arrived in Berlin, when she was a still just a seventeen-year-old, lost in the giant city. It was hard to believe that an entire year had almost passed since then.  
  
Although it seemed like she was moving forward with her life, Sam felt like she was still running in circles when the topic turned to her grandfather. She told to take her time in the quest, but her priorities seem to have gotten side tracked and she was slowly getting annoyed with her dependence on her grandfather's money and name. She was gifted with so much and she felt as though she was taking it all for granted by forgetting about her grandfather's wish. She still had only one envelope and it had been year. It was not that she didn't want to find the others, but she didn't know where to start.  
  
She was eighteen with the entire world ahead of her. She was attending a local college and her music had been put on the back burner but she enjoyed herself at the Jazz Club and while listening to Karsten. She was proud of him and couldn't wait to see where he'd take his career.  
  
She should be happy, right?  
  
She was in a loving relationship, she had a job, she was getting an education, what else could she ask for?  
  
The questions were always buzzing in her mind, but she usually pushed them aside. However, recently, since Karsten's trips had started becoming more frequent and prolonged, she found herself wondering about her grandfather, Carson, the letters, and oddly enough, the guy she'd seen the very first day she'd arrived.  
  
It was strange, but she'd thought about him a lot recently, wondering why he seemed familiar to her, why he seemed to recognize her, why she hadn't seen him since when the level they were on was for residents only. Her mind was jumbled and she felt confused.  
  
Shaking her head in an attempt to clear away her racing thoughts, Sam turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel as she stepped out of the shower. She then opened the door to the master bedroom and began dressing herself in a pair of loose sweatpants and a tank top, throwing a towel over her shoulder as she walked into the main room, too lazy to blow-dry her hair. The smell of pancakes flooded her senses and she opened her mouth to praise Karsten when the figure she found sitting at the table wasn't her boyfriend, but the man she'd been spending the past few days thinking about.  
  
Dressed similarly to how he was the day she had first seen him, the bespectacled man turned his attention from the blond cooking at the stove to the casually dressed woman who had just walked into the room. Something in his hazel eyes flickered and rose to his feet, the sudden sound of wood scraping against the tile kitchen floor startling the musician at the stove and resulting in a half-cooked pancake lying on the linoleum floor.  
  
He stared at her and she stared at him.  
  
This had happened once before and Sam could feel her stomach flip uneasily under the scrutiny of his sharp gaze, only praying that it wouldn't end up like the pancake laying at Karsten's feet.

* * *

**Okay, so this is the extent of what I have re-written, so this will be the last of the updates. I hope everyone enjoys it!!!**

**~CheddarSquirrel84 (Smash41KMF)  
**


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